Image: Mégane Fontaine
Joen Martinsen is EPICO’s EU Industrial Policy Specialist in Brussels.
He covers industrial policies at the EU level, with a focus on the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries, particularly the steel sector. He monitors key legislative files such as the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). His work includes organising workshops, drafting policy briefs, and tracking developments to advocate for evidence-based solutions supporting Europe’s industrial transformation.
Before joining EPICO, Joen worked as a researcher at Pilot4Dev, a Brussels-based think tank. He contributed to projects addressing disinformation, specialising in sociological assessments of climate-related misinformation and its influence on public perception and policy.
Areas of expertise
EU Industrial Policy, CBAM, EU ETS, EU Trade Policy in the Steel Sector
Languages
Norwegian, English, German
Education
- M.A. in Global and European Politics, European School of Political and Social Sciences (ESPOL), Lille
- B.A. in European Studies with German, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim
Publications & Blog Posts
Publications
Advancing Europe’s Industrial Competitiveness and Resilience
EPICO reacts: Competitiveness Council
Why Lead Markets Must Anchor Europe's Competitiveness Agenda
Maximizing Scrap Potential: Why Tomorrow's Green Steel Starts with Today's Scrap (Green Steel Dialogues)
How Germany can save its steel industry: Protecting Europe, Promoting European
Media Outreach & External Publications
Media Coverage and Citations
- Table Media
"We need a differentiated approach to labeling clean steel. Europe should avoid a one-size-fits-all approach when creating lead markets for low-carbon steel." - Read the op-ed
- Table Media
"A uniform approach risks disadvantaging nearly half of European production. The use of scrap is not a free pass to lower climate targets. It still requires effort from steel producers and investment in technology." - Read the article
- Münchner Merkur
"We currently see no credible alternative to the CBAM. The priority should therefore be to strengthen and refine the mechanism, particularly by addressing loopholes and improving the effectiveness of its scope." - Print Weekend Edition, 16/17 May 2026
- ENDS Europe
"Even if the quota for low-carbon products was 100%, procurement alone wouldn't suffice in covering all the demand" - Read the article
- Contexte
"The sliding-scale approach “risks undermining” Europe’s advantage in the circular steel sector by penalising recycling" - Read the article